Process of manufacturing groups of sheets consecutively numbered



June 1 ,1926. S 1,586,915

0. W. PENDERGAST PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING GROUPS OFSHEETS CONSECUTIVELYNUMBERED 'Filed Feb. 18, 1926 2 Sheefis-Sheet 2 PTQ.E.

gin wanton UvErIunW. Pender'gasl Patented June 1, 1926.

uuirsn stares OVERTON W. PENDERGAST,

PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING GROUPS Application filed February The presentinvention relates to the artof printing, and more particularly to anovel method of manufacturing groups of sheets consecutively numberedfor use such as shipping tags, stock tags, job tags, tabs, slips forprinted forms of any kind.

The automatic numbering machines now on the market for printing numbersconsecutively, cannot print in relatively large type owing to themechanical construction thereof, and the cost of printing numbersconsecutively on the ordinary type of printing press has beenprohibitive owing to the amount of time required for the gatheringoperation. It is often desired to economically produce printed formsconsecutively numbered with numerals larger than those that can beproduced with ordinary press numbering machines on ordinary printingpresses.

It is therefore a primary object of this invention to provide a noveland useful process of manufacturing groups of sheets containingconsecutive numbers printed from type alone in a quicker and moreeconomical manner than is possible by the methods now in common use.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a novel means ofprinting con secutive numbers on tags or forms whereby handling orgathering of the forms after being printed may be accomplished in a moreexpeditious manner than by methods heretofore used.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a novel method ofproducing groups of sheets consecutively numbered with relatively largenumerals on an ordinary type of press in an expeditious and economicalmanner so that the sheets may be placed upon the market at a reasonablecost. 7 y 7 Other objects and advantages of the invention will beapparent during the course of the, following detail description, takenin connection with the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthisspecifioation and in which drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a number of the basic stock cards or sheetscut to a desired size for forming a given number of forms. t

Figure 2 is a plan view of a basic card or sheet h i g e numerals p ntedthereon,

PATENT OFFICE.

or 'rnnnn nanrn, INDIANAZ or streams consncn'rrvnmr NUMBERED.

18, 1926. Serial NO. 89,222.

and forming the first card or sheet of a se ries of forms beginning with000 and ending with 999.

Figure 3 is a plan view of the second printed sheet of the series.

Figure 4 is a plan view of the next to the last printed sheet of theseries.

Figure 5 is a plan View of the last printed sheet of the series.

' Figure 6 is a detail view illustrating the arrangement of the printedstock sheets. after the first gathering operation inthe process.

Figure 7 is a detail view illustrating the manner in which the basicsheets are divided following the gathering operation illustrated inFigure Figure 8 is a detail view illustrating a completed set of formsnumerically arranged and consecutively numbered from 000 to 999.

Figure 9 is a view illustrating the arrangement of the numerals on basicstock sheets when it is desirable to print more than ten forms upon eachsheet.

Figure 10 is a view illustrating the first and second stock sheets asprinted by the process now in common use.

Referring to the drawings in detail, and wherein similar referencecharacters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views,the letter A may designate the basic stock cards or sheets cut to adesired size for producing a given number of symmetrical rectangularshaped forms 13. In the drawingsfthe dot and dash lines have merely beenshown for clearness in describing the various stepsin theprocess, andindicates where the sheets are severed for providing the finished forms.

Referring particularly to Figures 1 to 6 inclusive, and in which thebasic stock sheets have each been divided into ten equal forms, suchsheets being of the. largest. size from which the largest numbers orforms can be cut as produced upon the printing press available. Thesestock sheets are then divided into one hundred lotsof one hundred sheetseach. Each of the sheets in one lot is then printed as in Figure 2, thefirst form being printed with 000, the second. with 100,

and the following forms progressively increased by 100, the last ortenth form hear ing the numeral 900. As before. stated, each Sheet n her t s t- 9i ear h nd d ets iii-m .000 u) 999.

is printed by this form. The second set of one hundred stock sheets maythen each be printed as in Figure 3 with each correspondingly relatedform of the second set of a value of one greater than the correspondingform or the first set.

Theremaining eight sets of sheets are then printed each progressivelyincreasing by one so that the last two sets are printed with thenumerals as illustrated in Figures 4 and 5, the sheets illustrated inFigure 5represent ingthe last set of sheets.

It may here be well to state that the method pursued throughout Figures1 to 8 inclusive, is to produce one hundred groups of consecutivelynumbered forms, each group containing one thousand forms nuin bered from090 to 999.

After one hundred sets of sheets each con- 'taining one hundred sheets,have been printedas aboye described, the first gathering operation isperzt'ormed by gathering without cutting, one sheet from the top of eachof the one hundred sets thus printed until a lot ofsheets (l asillustrated in Figure 6 has been attained, and as will be seen uponobserving Figure 6, each form increases by one from'the top set of formsto the lowermost set. This operation is repeated one hundred times, thusproviding one hundred-lots as illustrated in Figure 6.

The next process is to out each oi the lots" illustrated in Figure 6,along their dividing lines intotendistinct lots D of equal size with oneset of forms to each lot such as is clearly illustrated in Figure 7.

The next step is to gather the ten small lots cut from each lot of thestock sheets into one lot E consecutively numbered as in Fig ,ure 8, theuppermost form bearing the digits 909 and the bottom form bearing thedigits Repeat this operation one hundred times untilyou have one hundredgroups of forms eachgroup containing forms consecutiyely numbered from000 to 999, thus completing the process.

It will be seen that the method pursued by so arranging the numeralsupon the sheets. that only eleventhousand gathering operations arenecessary tor producing one hundred groups of forms each containing onehundred forms consecutively.nuinbered Summing up the gatheringoperation, it requires ten thousand gathering operations to produce onehundred lots as illustrated in Figure 6, and one thousand gatheringoperations after the severing operation in Figure 7 to produce onehundred sets ot'forms of one thousand sheets consecutively numbered asin Figure v8, tints-requiring eleven thousand gathering operations ,inall.

Reterringto the common practice of .produclng such sets-of consecutively numbered forms, and which process is illustrated in thousand lotsof one hundred finished forms each, each linishedlot containing onehundred finished forms each bearing the same numeral. Then, startingwith the lot containing number 900, consecutively gather one sheet fromeach lot until a group of one thousand consecutively numbered terms havebeen gathered similar to the finished group ottormsas illustrated inFigure 8. Repeat this operation one hundred times until you have onehundred lots of consecutively numbered "form starting with 000 andending with which completes the process.

As will be seen, it requires one hundred thousand gathering operationsto complete the process by the common method.

By the process as defined in the method as pursued in Figures 1 to Sinclusive, it will be seen that the number of gathering operationsrequired for producing consecutively numl' ered terms is greatlyreduced, thus materially reducingfthe cost of production.

Referring to the practice as illustrated in Figure 9, and whereinLindicates one of the sheetsot the first group, M oneot' the sheets ofthe second group, and None of the sheets of the last group, it will beseen that each of the stock sheets contain twenty forms. By so arrangingtwenty of'the terms upon each stock sheet, providing the printing pressis of a sizeto accommodate such size sheets, it will be seen that thegathering operation for providing one hundred groups of forms eachconsecutively numbered from 900 to 999, would be still further reduced.With a method as illustrated in'Figure 9, one hundred groups of stocksheets of fifty sheets each wouldbe required for providing one hundredgroups of finished forms consecutivel y numbered from 000 to 999. Withreference to the number of gathering operations required for themethodillustrated in Figure 9, only seven thousand gathering operations wouldbe required.

It will be observed from Figure .6, and wherein the group contains onehundred sheets,that the forms progressively increase by one hundred,while in the method pursued in: Figure .9 whereineach group containsbutIfrfty sheets, the Ifforms progressively increase by fifty. Thus itwi'llbe seen that the-terms of each sheet pro ressively increase by anumber equal to the number of sheets contained in the group.

It Will also be seen that groups of sheets consecutively numbered from000 to 100 or to ten thousand or to one hundred thousand, etc, can beproduced by this process with similar advantages in the gatheringoperations over the common practice now in use.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that a new and usefulprocess of manufacturing groups of sheets containing consecutive numbersprinted from type alone in a quicker and more economical manner has beenprovided, than is possible by the methods noW in use.

Changes in detail may be made ithout departing from the spirit of theinvention or the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. Those steps in the method of producing a group of consecutivelynumbered forms printed from type alone, Which consists of firstproviding a group of sheets each con taining a like number of forms,printing numerals upon each form of each sheet, with the numerals uponeach form of each sheet progressively increasing by the number of sheetsin the group and With the correspond-- ingly disposed form of eachsucceeding sheet increasing by 1, disposing the sheets in progressivesuperposed relation in a single lot with the sheet containing thehighest numbered forms lowermost, severing the lot into consecutivelyand progressively numbered sets offorms, and then gathering the sets offorms into a single group of consecutively numbered forms.

2. Those steps in the method of producing groups of consecutivelynumbered forms printed from type alone, consisting of taking a number ofgroups of sheets each group containing a like number of sheets, and eachsheet divisible into like numbers of forms, printing numerals upon eachof the forms of each sheet of one group of sheets, progressivelyincreasing by a number equal to the number of sheets in the group,successively printing the remaining groups of sheets by increasing thevalue of the forms in each group by 1 with respect to theircorrespondingly disposed forms of the preceding group, successivelygathering one sheet from the top of each group of printed sheets intoseparate lots or" progressively numbered sheets, severing each lotsymmetrically into a number of sets of forms, and

gathering each set of forms into groups of like consecutively numberedforms.

3. Those steps in the method of producing groups of progressivelynumbered forms printed from type alone, consisting of providing a numberof groups of sheets each group containing a like number of sheets andeach sheet divisible into like numbers of forms, printing numerals ofincreasing value upon each form of one group, successively printing theremaining groups of sheets by increasing the value of the forms in eachgroup With respect to the correspondingly disposed forms of thepreceding group, suc cessively gathering one sheet from the top of eachgroup of printed sheets into separate lots of progressively numberedsheets, severing each lot symmetrically into a number of sets of forms,and gathering each set of forms into groups of like progressively num--bered forms.

4:. Those steps in the method of producing groups of consecutivelynumbered forms printed from type alone, consisting oi": pro viding anumber of groups of sheets each sheet of each group divisible into anumber of forms when multiplied by the number of sheets in the groupWill form the desired number of consecutively numbered forms to beproduced, printing numerals upon each.

of the forms of each group of sheets so that when first successivelygathering one sheet from the top of each groupof sheets into a number ofseparate lots of sheets, severing each lot symmetrically into a numberof sets of forms, and then gathering each set of forms into groups,groups of like consecutively numbered forms will be provided.

OVERTON l PENDERGAST.

